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JAPAN
Sep 8, 2007

Abe & Co. stumbling toward a Diet showdown

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's political future hinges on how he manages the extraordinary Diet session that starts Monday.
BUSINESS
Sep 8, 2007

GE delays auction of lender Lake

General Electric Co., the world's second-largest company by market value, has delayed an auction of its Japanese consumer lending unit Lake, it was learned Friday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2007

Pension system suffers another blow

The Social Insurance Agency's investigation into pension-related frauds has found that pension premiums and benefits and other funds have been embezzled by municipal and agency workers in 99 cases, totaling more than ¥340 million. This new revelation undermines the people's trust in the nation's pension...
BUSINESS
Sep 8, 2007

Suntory, PepsiCo in coffee tieup

Suntory Ltd. said Friday it has agreed to tie up with PepsiCo Inc. to sell canned coffee in Southeast Asia.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 8, 2007

Flying high from where the airlines left off

For all his carefully considered — if not weightily measured — words, Geoffrey Tudor's inner child is never far away. It twinkles at the corners of his eyes, twitches the corners of his mouth, and often convulses his body in mischievous laughter.
BASKETBALL
Sep 7, 2007

bj-league adds two more teams

The OSG Phoenix and Shiga LakeStars will join the bj-league as expansion teams for the 2008-09 season, the league announced Wednesday. The league started with six teams for the 2005-06 season and added two new teams (the Toyama Grouses and Takamatsu Five Arrows) to the fold last season. In the upcoming...
Japan Times
SOCCER
Sep 7, 2007

Ferguson: Beckham alone can't transform MLS

LONDON (AP) David Beckham will find his latest mission of transforming soccer in America more difficult than expected, according to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2007

New chief for U.S. Forces Japan

U.S. President George W. Bush has nominated Maj. Gen. Edward Rice, Jr. to become the next U.S. Forces Japan commander, to replace Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, the U.S. forces announced Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 7, 2007

'Black Snake Moan'/'Hostel 2'

Some of you may have seen the poster for "Black Snake Moan"; it's pretty hard to miss. Glowering at the viewer is Samuel L. Jackson, looking pretty burly in a dirty white tank-top, holding a heavy-looking chain. All chained up is Christina Ricci, on her knees in a skimpy outfit, and throwing a meaningful...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 7, 2007

Battles look past end of postrock

Almost all Japanese editions of albums by foreign artists contain Japan-only bonus tracks, but few of these tracks are as site-specific as the one that closes the debut album by the New York-based postrock quartet Battles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Sep 7, 2007

Les Yeux Clairs

Director: Jerome Bonnell Language: French
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 7, 2007

Rain — an ice-cream addict's best friend

As typhoon season approaches I rub my hands with glee. It's a common misconception that summer is the best season for ice cream. What better example of man's triumph over nature than enjoying a cold snack in a warm apartment as the rain crashes down outside? Truly, it's enough to make anyone feel invincible....
CULTURE / Music
Sep 7, 2007

Miami "Good Morning Playground"

Formed in 2004 by two women called Ai — one a classically trained violinist whose hobbies include cooking, flower-arrangement and "home crafts," the other a "Star Wars" fanatic and lightning-speed MC — Japanese technopop duo Miami are releasing their debut mini-album after a year spent ricocheting...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 7, 2007

Eating more than your fill in Osaka

Kuidaore! (Eat till you drop!) goes the old maxim about Osaka. The imperative tone of this statement seems perfectly in tune with the brashness of the culture here. So as a newcomer to Kansai, after a life spent between Kanto and Britain, kuidaore is exactly what I and a couple of friends set out to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 7, 2007

'The Cats of Mirikitani'

"He seemed all alone, and I had never seen such an elderly man out on the streets. There was something about him that compelled me to talk . . ." That was how New York documentary filmmaker Linda Hattendorf describes her meeting with Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani, one snowy day in New York in January 2001....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Sep 7, 2007

L'Avion

Director: Cedric Kahn Language: French
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 7, 2007

Town breaks record with fire in the sky

Japan's fireworks displays are known the world over for their dynamism. Japanese people have enjoyed hanabi, as they are known here, since the Edo Period (1603-1868). Displays can be found all over the nation, but none match the one that caps the Katakai Matsuri on Sept. 9 and 10 at Ojiya City, Niigata...
COMMENTARY
Sep 7, 2007

Muslim nation minus 'idiotic autocrats'

LONDON — It was not a tactful way to start out his new job as a Turkish government spokesman, but Suat Kiniklioglu did cut to the heart of the matter.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji